Automatic syrup delivery for soda-fountains.



A. R GROSS.

AUTOMATIC SYRUP DELIVERY POB SODA POUNTAINS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1908.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT GFFTCE;

ANGUS ROY GROSS, 0F CATONSVILLE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, 0F ONE-HALF T0 JAMES D. BROWN, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AND @NE-HALF T0 JOSHUA T. GILLELAN, 0F EMMITSBUBG, MARYLAND.

AUTCll/IATIC SYRUP DELIVERY FOR SGIDA-FOUNTAINS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lrnown that l, Ansus Ror GROSS, of Oaklawn, Catonsville, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful improvements in automatic Syrup Eelivery for Soda-Fountains; and l hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is an improvement in dispensing apparatus for soda-water fountains and has particular reference to the means for discharging the syrup. lts object is to en able the proper quantity of the desired syrup or flavor to be delivered automatically by the action of the charged water when the latter is drawn ott into a glass or receiver so that the attendant merely has to draw the water and the syrup will be delivered simule taneously therewith, and the operator has simply to depress a single lever or open a. single valve in order to obtain both the syrup and the water this double result bcing obtained without any particular eXertion on his part and by one operation, thus eil'ecting a saving of labor in operating` the apparatus and rendering the same more compact and speedy in operation.

The invention will now be explained in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one practical form ot' apparatus embodying the invention and operating on the principles above outlined, but it will be obvious that the invention is not restricted to the particular mechanical details shown in the drawings and can be utilized in a variety of mechanical embodiments to suit the wish of the manufacturer and to best accord with the design of the fountain or dispensing apparatus with which it is to be used.

The drawings represent a sectional elevation through the upper part of a dispensing fountain, showing syrup pump, a container, a charged water connection, whereby the syrup may be automatically delivered upon the opening of the water valve; the parts being shown closed in full lines and in operative or discharging position in dotted lines.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 12, 1908.

Serial No. 448,123.

In the said drawings A designates the syrup container which may be of ordinary construction and arranged within a cooler B located beneath or in rear of the top G, as usual in dispensing apparatus. Custoinarily the containers A are arranged in series and can be removed from the cooler through doors in the front side thereof, as indicated in the dawing, but these features are well understood and form no part of the present invention. It is therefore unnecessary to enter into any detailed explanation thereof.

lVithin each syrup container e. is inserted a pump which may be of any desired construction and is shown as provided with a cylinder at bottom in which works a plunger la connected to a rod l" and normally raised above the top ot the cylinder, by means oit a spring le, or any other suitable means. ln the present instance the pump cylinder com municates at bottom with a discharge pipe l@ which extends upward and connects with a channel Q@ in a delivery pipe 2 which extends through a plate 3, removably litted over an opening in the top pla-te F ot the cooler above the container. Plunger rod l" is connected to, or formed with, a piston l at its u pper end, which enters a short cylinder 3 formed with or secured to plate 3, adjacent the delivery pipe 2, and said cylinder has at its bottom a stuffing bon 3b and at its side an outlet port 3G connecting with a channel 211 in the delivery pipe 2 adjacent channel 2Q. The spring lC normally holds the plunger la and the piston 1d raised as shown in full lines in Fig. l so that the port 3@ is normally closed.

The cylinder 3 is connected at top by pipe 3f with a valve chamber et which has a port closed by a valve ila, which preferably is an upwardly closing valve and is connected to a stem 1lb passing through a stuft'- ing box e@ and pivoted to a hand lever Lla. A spring Lif may be arranged to close the valve but its closure will ordinarily be effected by the pressure of the liquid. The valve chamu ber e is connected, in a suitable manner, as indicated at il in drawings with a water supply pipe 5, which connects with the coolers in the ice boX, or charged water containers WV, which may be located in the ice box Patented Aug 2e, i909.,

or arranged in any preferred manner, the essential requirements being that the valve chamber l shall be in direct communication with the charged water supply so that when valve an is opened the charged water will flow through the valve chamber into the cylinder 8a where owing to its pressure it will force piston ld downward until port 3 1s uncovered and then the water will flow through said port and channel 2h until discharged and will continue to flow so long as valve la is' held open. Ihe depression of piston l1 causes plunger 1aL to descend into the pump cylinder l and as the latter is normally lled with syrup the syrup in said cylinder 1s forced out through the pipe le into the channel 2e and is discharged simultaneously with the water into a glass or receptacle held under the delivery pipe 2.

rIhe syrup will be discharged substantially simultaneously with the water and I consider this method of operation preferable, but it is within the scope of the invention to arrc nge the apparatus so that the syrup may be discharged before or after the water has begun to iiow from the delivery pipe. As soon as valve 4a is closed the water is cut off and piston l(1 and plunger l'h1 are raised so that the cylinder l can fill with syrup. Any pressure between the piston Il1 and the valve 4a is relieved by means of a small vent 2f at the upper endof the cylinder communicating with channel 2h as shown.

Among the advantages of the invention as applied to dispensing apparatus are the automatic operation of the syrup discharge; the utilization of the charged water pressure to operate the syrup delivery; the doing away with any manual operation of the syrup pump and the simultaneous discharge of water and syrup from the same delivery pipe or nozzle; the lessening of manual labor as slight pressure on the valve lever sufces to open the water valve; and the saving of time in that the water and syrup are drawn simultaneously.

It is obvious that the principal features of the invention, to wit: utilization of the water pressure or gas pressure in the fountain to operate the syrup discharge can be embodied in various forms of apparatus and therefore the specific apparatus shown in drawings is but one of many that could be readily devised while at this time the pres ent preferred form of the apparatus.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

l. In a dispensing apparatus the combination of a flavor supply, a charged water supply, a valve controlling the dispensing of the water, and a pump actuated by the charged water for delivering the proper quantity of flavor when said valve is open.

2. In a dispensing apparatus the combination of a water supply, a syrup or flavor supply, a pump for discharging predetermined quantities of syrup, and means for operating said pump by pressure of the escaping water.

3. In a dispensing apparatus for soda fountains, the combination of a water supply, a water dispensing valve, a syrup container, a pump for discharging pre-determined quantities of syrup from the container, andmeans for operating said pump by pressure of the escaping water when the water valve is opened.

4. In a dispensing apparatus the combination of a container, a pump therein, a 4delivery pipe connected with the pump, a charged water supply, a valve for controlling the water discharge and means actuated by the water pressure to Yoperate the syrup pump when the water valve is open.

5. In a dispensing apparatus the combina- 851 tion of a container, a pump therein, a delivery pipe connected with the pump, a charged water supply also connected with the delivery pipe, a valve for controlling the water discharge and means actuated by the water pressure to operate the syrup pump when the water valve is opened.

6. In combination a syrup container, a charged water dispensing pipe, a valve therein, a syrup pump connected with said pipe, and means for operating the syrup pump by water pressure connected with the water pipe between its valve and discharge end.

7. In a dispensing apparatus, the combination of a delivery pipe, a charged water pipe connected therewith and a valve for regulating the discharge of the charged water with a syrup container, a pump therein, a cylinder connected with the water pipe and a piston in said cylinder connected with the pump for operating the latter when the water valve is open.

8. In a dispensing apparatus the combination of a delivery pipe, a charged water pipe connected therewith, a valve for regulating the discharge of the charged water, a cylin? der connected with the water pipe between the valve and the delivery pipe, and a piston in said cylinder; with a syrup container and a syrup pump connected with said piston whereby the pump is operated when the water valve is o1 ened.

9. The combination of a syrup container,

a syrup pump and a delivery pipe with a p charged water supply pipe, a valve therein, a cylinder connected with said supply and discharge pipes, and a piston in said cylinder normally closing communication be* Y tween the supply and the discharge pipes, said piston being connected with the syrup pump whereby. the latter is operated when the water valve is opened.

10. In combination a syrup container and a pump therein, a delivery pipe, a charged 'Water dispensing pipe, a valve therein, a In testimony that I claim the foregoing as cyhnder connected Wlth Szud dehvery and my own, I afhx my slguatme 111 presence of dlspensu'lg plpes, :L pleton 1n sald cylmder two Wltnesses.

normally closing communication between the ANGUS ROY GROSS. said ppee and Connections between said ps- VtnesSes:

t0n and the pump whereby the pump is SAM D. BUCK,

operated when the Water Valve is opened. JAMES D. BROWN. 

